The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Settling Into Wyoming, But For How Long?

The second season of HBO’s hit post-apocalyptic drama is set five years after the events of the first season. The series is based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, and season two, in particular, is based on the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II. The storyline of the second video game follows Ellie, who wants revenge for a murder, and Abby, who gets involved in the fight between her militia and a cult. Only time will tell what direction the TV series takes!

The series is expected to have 7 episodes. Episode 1 has a runtime of 58 minutes.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 1 Recap

The season starts after the end of the first season, as we see the remainder of the Fireflies wondering what to do after the devastation of the last season. Abby wants revenge for what Joel has done, but the others want her to regroup first before going on a wild goose chase. 5 years later, Ellie and her gang have settled into Jackson, Wyoming, where everyone is getting ready for a party that night. As the community builds the town back up, we see Joel working on something, and Dina joins him.

The two end up discussing his relationship with Ellie, and he tells her that they are both figuring out how to deal with their parental relationship for the first time. Through the conversation, Dina playfully teases him about seeing Gail and about being in therapy. Elsewhere, Ellie and Tommy practice shooting, and she is infuriated when she learns that she can’t be on patrol because of Joel. She convinces him to let her do what she wants, after threatening to tell everyone that she was bitten by the infected and is immune.

Meanwhile, Joel and Maria discuss how to build faster to let more survivors in, but he is concerned about the growing population because they don’t have the manpower to get everything done in time. However, she reminds him that he was once a refugee as well.

Joel leaves to meet Gail and gives her marijuana in exchange for getting therapy. He starts talking about his relationship with Ellie, and Gail tells him to be true to her and to himself instead of drowning in self-pity. She then adds that she hates him for killing her husband the way that he did. She then asks him whether he hurt her or not, but he only tells her that he saved her before walking away.

Back at home, Ellie and Dina get ready to go on patrol, and Ellie ignores her invitation to watch a movie with her and Joel. However, on their patrol, they decide to go together to the party although it is clear that Ellie likes Dina. However, that discussion comes to a halt when they see blood on the ground, and they ignore their leader’s words to go back and report it. As Dina and Ellie go forward, they see a bunch of dead people and a dead bear on the ground. Pushing forward, they go against their leader’s words and quietly go inside the nearby building and come face to face with a few zombies.

However, killing them is the least of their worries as Ellie falls through the floor inside the building. As Dina tries to find a way to get her out, Ellie walks through the supermarket and hears a sudden sound. Worried, she tries to find the source of the sound as she is stalked by an infected. However, unlike the others, it behaves oddly and even runs away from her instead of toward her. Ellie tries to find it, but she is eventually caught and bitten by the creature. Later, she tells the council about her experience with a smarter infected, and although they don’t believe Dina, they are left concerned about Ellie’s experience.

That night, Ellie goes back home to stitch up her wound without anyone knowing and afterwards Joel visits and awkwardly promises to get her guitar fixed. At the party, Ellie and Dina dance together and eventually kiss each other. Seth calls them derogatory terms, and Joel pushes him to the ground. Unfortunately, Ellie takes this the wrong way and lashes out at Joel, which leaves him heartbroken, and he walks out. Later on, Ellie finds Joel playing the guitar alone on the porch but chooses not to talk to him. Meanwhile, we see the seemingly dead fungus inside the pipes starting to move.

The morning after, Abby and Owne make their way to Ellie’s town in search of revenge.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 1 Review

The second season of The Last of Us starts off with a humdrum of everyday life that forms the base of the shocking twists and turns, and a devastating revenge story waiting to unfold. Although we know the story of the second season from the game, it would be interesting to see the twists that the series has added in order to leave us shocked. Either way, it’s hopefully about to be thrilling in every sense of the term. The first episode sets the scene well for Ellie & Joel’s relationship, along with Abby’s quest, while also bringing forth a shocking situation involving the fungus. We can only wait and watch.

Also Read: The Last of Us Season 1 Review